Once Betrayed Never Forgotten

Chapter 106: Reunited at Last

My heart leaps into my throat, my gar snapping to the entrance of the alcove at the centre of the maze. In the fading light, a tall, dark figure emerges silhouetted against the white flowers of the twisting dog me, his silhouette sharp against the golden glow. My pulse quickem, my breath catching in my chest.

“Aleksandr,” I whisper. I can’t believe it’s really him. After so long, I’ve finally found him again.

The figure steps forward, his face coming into view, his expression taut and unreadable. His dark hair falls across his forehead, his bright blue eyes gleaming in the twilight.

“Arianna,” he says, his voice lone and gravelly, breaking with emotion. And in that moment, we ran towards each other, and he wraps his arms around me, string and comforting.

“Arianna,” he murmuri, overcome with emotions as I burst into tears of joy, sobbing ag

“I searched day and night for you, my love,” Aleksandı murmurs, his mice deep and pained, “I will never let you out of my sight again,”

“Abem…” the sound of Kieran loudly clearly his throat behind us catches my attention and reminds ane that we aren’t alone. I turn around to look over to him and see that he’s smiling widely

“Well then, I’ll leave ye two lovebirds to it,” he says, his white dripping with amusement. “Catch up, share your adventures. I’ll see ye at dinner. Cheers!”

With that, he turns, melting into the shadows of the maxe, leaving Aleksandr and me standing aline in the clearing Aleksandr takes a step back, looking me up and down from head to toe, perhaps wondering about my transnation

My heart hammers in my chest, my get fixed on Aleksandr, his stern face twisted into an undable mask. The tension hangs between us, thick and heavy, the words lodged in my throat,

“Aleksandr,” I say again, my voice a whisper.

He steps closer, his eyes narrowing, his jaw clenching “Arianna, where have you been? Where did Tatiana take you? None of my spies in the Fiery realm reported seeing you enter or leave

The weight of his question presses down on me, my heart sinking. “It sounds like you need better spies. Anyway, it’s a long story, I reply, my voice tinged with desperation. “But I’m here now, Aleksandr. Im back.”

His gaze softens, his shoulders slumping slightly. “And you’ve changed,” he says, his suice i miture of awe and confusion

1 nod, feeling the transformation that has taken bold of me, the crimson streak in my hair, the pale skin, the blood–red eyes. I’m a Blood Wraith now,” I say, my voice steady, the admission weighing heavily on me.

Aleksandrs face tightens, his eyes flickering with a mixture of anger and concern. “How did this happen?” he asks, his voice taut

I swallow, the memory of Tatiana’s ritual flashing through my mind. “Tatiana had me imprisoned in her castle tower,” I say, my voice tinged with +10 bitterness. She was going to have her slave, the blood wraith Bloodbane, um.

I don’t know why I’m suddenly feeling shy and ashamed, but I feel my theeks turn bright red.

“She was going to take my virginity, she said that would make me worthless to you,” I admit.

“And you believed her?” Aleksandr says, his voice gentle.

Bonu

07:47

*No, of course not!” I reply. “But I still didn’t want to… well, you know, with Bloodbane. And he didn’t want to either, he was enslaved by her, no free

all, like a puppet.”

I rush to mention the last part, not wanting to give Aleksandr a reason to rip Bloodhane’s spine out when they inevitably meet.

“But before anything could happen, I tried to defend myself,” I continue. “It all happened too fast, but what it comes down to, is that I bit him,”

“You bit him…” Aleksandr says, a hint of amusement sparkling in his icy blue eyes, and I nod, “You, a human girl, bit a Blood Wraith…

“Yeah, trazy, I know, but what else was I supposed to do?” I ask, exasperated. “I guess that tiny bit of blood I drew when I bet him was enough. His

Chapter 106 Reunited at Last

blood was almost like a potion. I transformed, and it was so weird. Amazing, actually. Kind of like how I imagine my mom might have felt when she transformed from human to vampire.”

Aleksandr nods, deep in thought.

T

“Anyway, I thought you might already know about my transformation,” I admit. “Tatiana was recording the entire thing on this eye–shaped amulet, I think she said it was called the All Seeing Eye. She said she was planning to send it to you, so you’d see Bloodbane and I, um, being intimate. But when I ruined that plan by biting him and transforming into a blood wraith, she decided that it was even better to show you. She said that you would never be with a blood wraith, and it was game over for us. What did she mean by that?”

A muscle twitches in Aleksandr’s jaw, his eyes narrowing. “It’s complicated.”

“What matters is that Tatiana tried to sow seeds of doubt between us, hoping to drive a wedge that couldn’t be mended,” he says, his voice tight. “But that’s not what happened. You’ve been through a transformation, Arianna, but not one that changes how I feel about you”

My heart leaps, the sincerity in his gaze easing some of the tension that has knotted my chest. “But why did Tatiana think you wouldn’t accept me?” [ ask, my voice tinged with desperation.

Aleksandr’s lips press into a thin line, his shoulders slumping slightly. “Vampires and Blood Wraiths have a long history of animosity,” he says, his voice tinged with bitterness. “Like Fire Wraiths, there’s bad blood between us, a feud that has stretched back centuries.”

“Great,” I mutter, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “Of all the creatures 1 could have turned into, I had to pick the most universally disliked one.”

Aleksandr’s hand brushes against mine, his touch cold but comforting. “I know,” he says, his voice low and somber. “And it’s not just the feud. My family

– Konstantin and Anya – have personal reasons to hate Blood Wraiths. But that won’t change how I feel about you.”

I turn to him, my chest tightening at the mention of his family “What do you mean?”

Aleksandr’s eyes narrow, his face twisting into a grimace. “You’ll find out soon enough, I’m sure.”

I nod, the weight of his words pressing down on me. “And what about you? I ask, my voice barely a whisper. Do you hate Blood Wraiths?

Aleksandr’s eyes soften, his gaze meeting mine. “I don’t harbor hatred towards them,” he says, his voice steady. ‘I’ve never had strong feelings on them, and nothing could change my feelings for you. But Konstantin and Anya will have to be handled carefully”

A pang of relief washes over me, but it’s short–lived, the mention of Tatiana’s threat grawing at the back of my mind. “And Tatiana?” I ask, my voice tinged with apprehension. “What happened to her?”

Aleksandr’s face hardens, his eyes narrowing. “Tatiana probably heard about the bounty I put on her head after she took you,” he says, his voice laced with venom. “Every vampire throughout the realms is searching for her. She’s hiding out somewhere, waiting for my anger to die down. But she won’t evade me forever.”

I feel a shiver run down my spine, the memory of Tatiana’s taunts flashing through my mind, her voice dripping with malicious glee when she suggested that they had a romantic history, but now isn’t the time to bring it up.

I nod, my heart sinking at the thought of Aleksandr’s past with Tatiana, the doubt gnawing at my chest. But before I can dwell on it, his eyes ticket 109 down to the sword sheathed at my hip.

“Why do you have the Earth Angel’s sword?” he asks, his brow furrowing.

Bonus

07:43

“It’s a long

g story,” I say, my

voice tinged with weariness. “Let’s go inside, and I’ll explain.”

Aleksandr nods, his gaze lingering on me for a moment before turning towards the entrance of the mase, his face taut.

We make our way back through the twisting hedges, the white roses brushing against my arms, their delicate scent mingling with the cool evening air. The golden light fades into a dusky purple, the sky darkening into a blanket of deep indigo. The castle looms ahead, its stone walls bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight, its towering silhouette a stark contrast against the darkening sky.

As we approach the entrance hall, Aleksandr holds my hand in his, and I remember the magnificent feeling of those strong hands exploring my body, giving me pleasure, careful not to go too far. That’s when it hits me something so obvious that I can’t believe I’m only realising it now,

I’m no longer a weak, fragile, breakable human. Which means….